Mercedes Preparing To Cement Its Place Among Compact Luxury Crossovers With 2nd-Gen GLA

Less than two weeks ago, at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz took the wraps off a facelifted version of its entry-level GLA crossover. As it turns out, that will be just a stop-gap until the next-generation model arrives.
And as you can see from these spy shots, the Silver Star automaker is already working on it.

Spied undergoing cold-weather development in the ice and snow is a test mule for the second-generation GLA – the most rugged model in Daimler's expanding small-car lineup.

Essentially a taller version of the A-Class, the GLA is Benz's entry into a growing market for compact luxury crossovers, going up against the likes of the BMW X1, Audi Q3, and Infiniti QX30. That puts it at the bottom end of the German automaker's broadening array of crossovers, slotting in underneath the GLC – not to mention the larger GLE and GLS models.

Introduced late in 2013 as a 2014 model, the GLA is tipped for replacement late in 2019 or early 2020. Like the current version, the new model is anticipated to offer an array of turbocharged four-cylinder engines, ranging all the way up to the performance-oriented AMG GLA45. Expect its successor to do the same, and potentially even include an electrified version as well – be it a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or full electric model.